One Waterford beach declared clean while another 'slips' in latest IBAL survey
There are lots of things happening in Tramore
Tramore declared clean while Dungarvan “slips” according to new IBAL survey.
The annual survey of coasts and inland waterways conducted by An Taisce on behalf of the Irish Businesses Against Litter group showed that Tramore was “clean to European norms.” While Dungarvan was “moderately littered.” The An Taisce report for Tramore said: “Tramore Beach, promenade and immediate hinterland were freshly presented and very good with regards to litter - fitting for a Blue Flag beach.
“The area is exceptionally well served by litter bins - this appears to be sending a clear message and is having the desired effect. The bins were well maintained, not full / overflowing, and dedicated pizza bins were provided.
“The 'Beach Borrow Box - Please Leave or Borrow a Toy' needs better management - discarded towel, a pair of flip-flops, alcohol bottles and cigarette butts were amongst the items found within the Beach Borrow Box.
“Apart from the items left at Borrow Box, the overall impression created at Tramore Beach was a very positive one.” In Dungarvan, the report was also mostly positive, but there were areas in need of improvement.
“A lovely waterside environment, including the beautiful Walton Park with water feature, 'olde style' streetlamps, abundance of planting and seating areas - all of which were in very good order.
“However, some of the wooden seating had been defaced by the scratching of names onto the slats of wood. The street art on the utility boxes at the harbour were eye-catching and well maintained.
“Items other than plastic bottles had been deposited in the dedicated 'Plastic Bottle Recycle feature' (in the shape of a bottle).
“There were no traces of litter in the harbour, just land-based items - primarily cigarette butts, with lower levels of food-related items including lollipop sticks, coffee cups, fast-food wrappers and sweet papers. The tops of alcohol bottles had become lodged within the grass,” said the report.
Both Tramore and Dungarvan Tidy Towns host weekly beach clean-ups, while Tramore EcoGroup tidies up on Wednesdays.
More information is available on the group’s social media pages.
The survey was of 33 beaches, harbours, rivers, and their immediate environs monitored by An Taisce on behalf of IBAL in June and July.
Of those, 17 were deemed clean, a 50% rise on the previous survey, while the number of areas branded ’littered’ fell from 11 to just 3.
No area was placed in the lowest category, “heavily littered”.
IBAL’s Conor Horgan says this is by far the “most favourable result” they have seen in eight years of coastal surveys.
“The trojan and ever-expanding work of clean coasts groups and other volunteers is instrumental in this, as is the investment by councils in facilities around our beaches. Legislative measures, such as the tethering of caps to plastic bottles and the Deposit Return Scheme, are contributing factors. It appears also that local authorities have upped their game in responding to busy periods at our beaches,” said Mr Horgan.
Cigarette butts, sweet papers, and fast food wrappers were the most commonly found litter items.
The first coastal survey conducted since the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme showed a 30% drop in the prevalence of plastic bottles and cans. Vapes were less prevalent than in previous studies, But there was no fall in coffee cup litter, which was found in 42% of the sites surveyed.
“The coffee cup levy seems to have died with the last Government, but these findings show that the case for it has not died.
“Coffee cups have become a permanent addition to the suite of litter items regularly found on our beaches. It’s not just their visual impact - many contain plastic, which threatens sea life and, in turn, our very survival. ‘Coffee cup-free’ coastal areas, along the lines of the Killarney model, would be very welcome.” In 2022, Killarney became the first town in Ireland to phase out single-use coffee cups, said Mr Horgan.
Next month’s Big Beach Clean Up is an annual call to action organised by An Taisce’s Clean Coasts, which is expected to attract over 600 groups and 15,000 volunteers nationwide to our beaches over a single weekend, September 19-21.
